BBC calls for second screen standards

The BBC has called for technology standardisation for second screen services in order to help move the the broadcast sector forwards.

Speaking at TV Connect yesterday, BBC senior technologist for mobile and dual screen, Jeremy Kramskoy, said that common standards were important in terms of bringing down development and technology licensing costs.

He also said that in the future connected home, when synchronisation will increasingly result in different web-powered devices talking to each other, “standardisation has to happen, otherwise it’s going to be a complete nightmare.”

“We are currently getting involved in trying to find ways of standardising the technologies you need and the functionality to build out companion screens to be able to interact the TV, either via the internet or directly on the home network, to try and come up with an open set of standards to move this whole industry on,” said Kramskoy.

In terms of the BBC’s own initiatives in this area, he said the BBC “didn’t want to rush it,” as it was important to get things right. However, the BBC has been looking at second screen technology for  a few years, first experimenting with a second screen website for nature show Autumnwatch in 2010.

Last year it also did a closed trial for a second screen app around National Lottery show Secret Fortune, before doing a full consumer launch for a companion app around its long-running series The Antiques Roadshow.